“In Canada they had peasants from China build our railways across this huge country. That’s free enterprise for you, I guess, getting foreigners to do your back-breaking dirty work for pennies.” (227)

“What was wrong with all the fucking stupid, sobbing, bullshitting adults? Making wars, then wailing about the dead children.” (125)

“There is only one option left when you’ve given yourself up to the worst and it doesn’t come: prepare for something better.” (360)

i like the existential discussions here around capitalism vs. communism, ghosts and wartimes, and the insight into the “gypsy” communities here in toronto.

“A while ago kids at school started asking each other that new strange question, What are you? Because we didn’t really know. But lots of people don’t have a religion and are a mix of everything, like us.” (28)

“Pero and Mahmud and I want to break into one and just hang out there, to see what it feels like poking around in other people’s things. We wouldn’t take anything, at least not anything we didn’t really need.” (54)

“One second later, the apartment feels like it’s been abandoned for years.” (81)

“People don’t think about that stuff enough, how people need just a few basic things to keep on living.” (121)

the stress release outlet/rebellion of the teens in the form of the break-ins that leads to the insight of doing good deeds is an interesting way of telling intersecting stories, and to highlight the intersecting failings to deal with war, mental health, immigrants, death, education, and institutional violence. once again-i give thanks to the ontario librarian’s association for picking this one for their list. one more to read for this year…

“I sigh. The only response to a stupid point of view is to punch the person in the face, because reasoning will never help. Or walk away.” (235)

“Culture, she says, is radically transferable, that’s the great thing about it.” (243)